


Saving the Watcher

by skargasm



Category: Buffy the Vampire Slayer
Genre: M/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2011-11-15
Updated: 2011-11-15
Packaged: 2017-11-14 03:46:47
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 899
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/510978
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/skargasm/pseuds/skargasm
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Watching over and saving each other.....</p>
            </blockquote>





	Saving the Watcher

**Title:** Saving the Watcher  
 **Rating:** PG  
 **Pairing(s):** Giles/Xander (pre-slash)  
 **Genre:** Season 2 - AU  
 **Beta(s):** Unbeta'd but Proofread  
 **Prompt(s):** Prompt #278 : Rapid Eye Movement @ [](http://tamingthemuse.livejournal.com/profile)[**tamingthemuse**](http://tamingthemuse.livejournal.com/) & Prompt : Recovery @ [](http://angst-bingo.livejournal.com/profile)[**angst_bingo**](http://angst-bingo.livejournal.com/)  
 **Disclaimer:** ME and Joss own them - I just take 'em, make them do dirty/bad/wrong things then sneak 'em back while no-one is looking!  
 **Summary:** Watching over and saving each other.....  
 **A/N:** Some dialogue taken from Buffy the Vampire Slayer, season 2, episode Becoming Part II  
 **Graphic:** Banner by [](http://skargasm.livejournal.com/profile)[](http://skargasm.livejournal.com/)**skargasm**  


* * *

[ ](http://imgur.com/YYvcj)

He didn't want to close his eyes. Every single time he did, when his body finally succumbed to the desperate need for sleep, **HE** was there. Always laughing, sneering – that arrogant face twisted into an evil, demonic visage, glowing eyes and diamond sharp fangs. It brought him out in a cold sweat, made the fingers on his hand throb and ache, made his whole body tense and jerk, the dreams so vivid he was right back in that chair, tied in place, at the mercy of a madman.

He couldn't remember ever being so completely and utterly terrified. Oh he had hidden it behind sarcasm and snarky remarks, but his back had been cold and clammy with sweat, a tic had developed at the side of his right eye, and he slowly reached a bone deep realisation that he wasn't going to survive this. That his time was limited, possibly down to hours. Because he knew he couldn't hold out for much longer. Not with everything he had already faced, not with what he was being threatened with.

With a shudder, he turned over carefully in the bed, groaning quietly as bruises and aches made themselves felt at the shift in position. He was lucky – he knew he was lucky. Drusilla's mind tricks had served their purpose and he had revealed what he had fought so hard not to – there was no longer any need to keep him alive. Hell on earth and it was partly his fault because he told Angelus the key was in his blood – the only thing that remained was whether Angelus would torture him before he died just for the sheer enjoyment of it. And then he had begun hallucinating, or had thought he was. Xander racing up behind him, trademark babble spilling from his lips as he struggled to release Giles from his bonds. So sure he was hallucinating.....

He remembered opening bleary eyes, so weary, so ready to give up and saw him standing there. His voice was croaky when he spoke and he knew he sounded hesitant. “Xander?”

“It's me G-man - can you walk?”

The knowledge that he was dreaming was a bitter taste on his tongue and he turned his eyes away as he spoke to the apparition. “You're not real.”

Struggling with the ropes, hands feeling so real, so _there_..... “Sure, I'm real.”

A sob escaped him and he wondered if this was his mind breaking, whether Drusilla had caused permanent damage. “It's a trick. They get inside my head, make me see things I want.”

By this time, Xander had untied the ropes and moved around to look into Giles' face.

“Then why would they make you see me?”

Even now, he blushed to think of his response. “Because I do. Want you, you see. And I know it's too late and it will never happen now. Even if I knew before that it wouldn't happen. Perhaps this is my final dream....”

“No dream, big guy. And tell me you want me when we're not escaping from Deadboy in all his leather glory and I'll share some of my dreams with you. Now come on!”

He had groaned as Xander got under his arm and helped him out of the chair, finally accepting that this was real and he was being rescued. And that Xander hadn't run away screaming at finding out that Giles wanted him...

 

“Another dream?” Giles turned his head, a small smile crossing his face as he watched Xander cross the room towards him. Dressed in sweat pants and a baggy tee shirt, his arm encased in a plaster cast, the boy looked so young. For a moment, Giles felt ashamed of himself – the age difference was so big, the relationship verging on inappropriate. Then he reminded himself that they had done nothing but said the words, expressed their feelings, committed to helping each other through the nightmares. For now, that was more than enough.

He knew that there was a chance that what Xander felt for him was a misplaced desire for a father figure; that the upheaval of finally fighting Angelus, of losing Buffy, had sent the boy skittering to Giles as a refuge. And he found he didn't actually care. He had someone he cared about, someone to share the burden of keeping the Hellmouth relatively safe until they could finally track Buffy down; someone to watch over him when he slept and shake him awake when the dreams came and made him whimper in his sleep, eyelids fluttering madly as he tried to escape the terror that replayed over and over in his head. He hoped and prayed that it would build into something more but he didn't intend to push. It would develop in it's own time. Meanwhile, they both had something they needed. Someone to watch over them – they could be that for each other.....

* * *

fin

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End file.
